Safety pin



Aug. 26, 1930. W, COLBY 1,774,083

SAFETY PIN Filed'Aug. 22, 1929 gwwnto@ is well known,

Patented .Augn 26, 19,30

:SAFETY PIN Application -led August 22, 1929. Serial No. 387,636.

. lt is my object to provideasafetypin having aprong Orpenetrating memberv which isguarded when 1n freefor open position as' well as Awhen confinedin closedposition. As the so-called safety pins fin commonruseare a constant source ofl danger and frequently cause. serious injury vand even death to infants who swallowthe pins in open position. The pin of this invention is so constructed that itI eliminates this dangerand at the same time isstrongerthan'the common: type for .certain uses. The invention will bey best understoodby reference to the accompanying drawings in ,whichtFigure 1 is an enlarged sideview show-y ing the, preferred'form of,` my.l deviceg-in closed or lockedposition; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the Lsame taken yon theline 2:-2,of,Fig.1; Fig. Bisa side Viewofgthe pin with the prong in open or unlockedpo'sif tion ;iFig. 4 is aside view of anfalternatey form ofthe device and F ig.r isa fragmentary View showing a` furthermodiication.. ,i f

Suitable spring wire is bent to yform a closedloop yand a reentrant endofthe loop constitutes the prong or penetrating member 6 ofthe pin. This prong has a pointed, .distal end 7 and'abendS near its proximal endgis arranged to coact with an eye 9 to form a detent for removably securing the pointed end 7 inakeeper 10. yEmbracingl the bend .8,

the yeye 9y constitutes a sliding connection be' i tween longitudinal ymembers 11 and `12 which are Joined at theirV opposite .endsfbya, transverse portionl.k v t As bestshown in Fig. 2, a keeper 10, secured tothe member-13, Vhas a guide plate llt exf tending in the plane of the membersjll, and V12 .and parallel cheekfpieces 15 are spaced from theA plate; lla and adapted to confine the pron-g. 6 on opposite sides yofgsaid platerespectively. Each of the cheek lpieces 15, in the preferred form, has a notch 16 adjacent to themember 1-1 to facilitate insertion of the pointedend 7 into the keeper. The member 12 is formed toy normally urgean extremity 16 longitudinallyvv outward from the eye 9 so thatv when said eye is in engagementjwith the bend,8,las` shown in- Fig.- 1, the member 12 Yis-held under tension. When the end ofthe draws the plus., of Y -In use,

member 11 yadjacent to theeye 9 kis pressed inward the member 12'is Vfree to spring to the normalopen position shown in Fig. 3 and prong 6 longitudinally and -laterally out ofthekeeper 10. The end ofthe member-11 'adjacentto theveye 9 normally tendsto spring outward so as prong 6 in e toretain the ither the closed position shown infFig. 1. or the open position shown in;Fig. `3,

depending, uponthe tive `to the bend ,8.-

In the alternate form, of-my device shown in Fig. 4, the 17 and cheek edge 19 beyond which the jects- The formed .with a coil 21 to 4increase ency. Further,

position of the eye relakeeper hasa central guide plate pieces 18, each having an oblique guide plate 17 prolongitudinal4 member .20 f is the 1resiliandfunction to the bendfv of the preferred @mbodmenta bend. is i form gitudinaly member memberpr prong 25 entrant be1`idr26madapted tol vlimit sliding movement of the eyef23 alongthe prong when in this alternate form of pin kalbei'id 2,2 is provided, similar 1n construction cairo #sigfrailesY PATENr ori-ice thepin is in open position and affordinga i stop ori-material. penetrated'by the prong 25.

. ,In 'the mo prong 6ben 12 are like t dication shown in Fig. 5the d8, eye 9 and members 1l and hose of the preferred construction, but a bead V27 islixed on the prong 6 to 'y form a stopl i the prong is inserted. AWhen .theprong is inserted in a for-the material through which thick body of materialthis stop,

like the .bend 26, prevents `jamming between ,thev prong `6 and a memberll whichmight prevent proper movementv ofI the prong 6 to and from the keeper.

to insert the pin, they proximal end ofl the prong 6 is graspedtogether with. theV acent with said side of,y the p ends of the members 11 and 12and prong in thefree position shown in Fig. 3, lateral prong sulicient pressure is applied to the to extend it obliquely to one lane of the y members lland 12.

.Now the pointed end oftheprong'may be inserted'iinto-fabric or other material tobe held.

When the prong has been insertedtlie pin is l @lessd 'by 10' ngitudinal pressure applied to is moved longitudinally .the eye over the bend.

the keeper and extremity 16 of the member 12 so that the bend 8 is passed through the eye 9 and the pointed end 7 of the prong 6 and laterally into the keeper, asshown in Fig. 1. The prong is held in the keeperby the eye 9 and arrangement ofthe bend 8 which holds the member 12 under tension. To open the pin, lateral pressure is applied inward upon the member 11 adjacent to the eye 9 to thereby spring rl`his allows the mem-Y ber 12 to spring outward and withdraw the prong 6 from the keeper 10.

My improved pin is unusually strong in holding` two pieces of material together where tension is applied longitudinally outward on the pieces, in opposite directions.A sion tends yto pull the keeper 1() longitudinally away from the leye 9 or adjacent portion of the prong 6 and is opposed by both longitudinal members 11 and v12 while the prong is pressedy into the keeper by the resulting forces.

It will be understood that the cheek pieces 15 and guide plate 14 facilitate the .insertion ofthe prong after it has been sprung out of the plane of the members l1 and 12, to either side. In the eventthat the pin is closedwith the prong 6 outside of the keeper, the notches lmake it possible to force theprong back into the keeper without releasing the detent, as by-moving the eye 9 over and free of the bend 8. The normal tendency -of the pointed end 7 of the prong 6 to remain in the plane of the members 11 and 12'and' keeper 1() is reinforcedby the connection with the member 11 so that in all positionsvthe prong is eiliciently guarded.

The operation of the devicewith the modifications shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is like that of the preferred construction.

While I have illust-rated and described certain forms ofrmy device, it is to be understood that I do not limit lmy invention to such forms and numerous changes may be made within the broad scope of the invention n as defined in the appended claims.

permitting bers land substantially in the Having described my invention what I claim is new and'desire to protect by Letters `*Patent is:

1. A pin comprising, a pluralityof longitudinal members, a prong positioned between said members, said prong having a pointed end, a keeper for said pointed end, means for longitudinal movement of said prong to and from said keeper, one of said longitudinal members being adapted to normall withdraw said end longitudinally from said {eeper and means for removably securing said end in said keeper.

2. A pin comprising, a plurality of longitudinal members secured together at their ends and extending in substantially the same plane, a prong positioned between said mem- A plane of the Such ten-A same, said prong having a pointed end adapted to be sprun out of said plane, a keeper near one end o said members adapted to receive and guard said pointed end, one of said longitudinal members being adapted to resiliently withdraw said pointed end from said keeper, and means at the opposite ends of said members for retaining said prong in closed position in said keeper, said pointed end being positioned between said longitudinal members when in open position.

3; kA pin comprising, a plurality of longitudinal members formed from spring wire, a prong normally positioned between said members and substantially in the plane of the same, said prong having a pointed end adapted to besprung out of said plane for insertion in the material to be held, a keeper arranged to receive said pointed end in'closed position, one of said members being arranged to normally draw said pointed end longitudinally of said prong out of said keeper, and a detent for retaining said point in said keeper.

4. A pin comprising, a plurality of longitudinal members formed from spring wire, a prong normally positioned between said members and substantially in the plane of the same, said prong having a pointed end adapted to be sprung out of said pla-ne for insertion in the material to be held, a keeper secured to said members adjacent to said pointed end to-receive saidpointed end in closed position and ak detent formed near the opposite ends of said members to secure said pointed end in said keeper. f

' 5. AA pin comprising, a loop of spring wire formed with a reentrant prong on one end and with'longitudinal members extending in the plane of said prong and on opposite sides thereof, one of said members being slidably secured at one end to the proximal end of said prong, a detent formed in another of said members to engage said slidable end and a keeper supported on the opposite ends of said members to receive the distal end of said prong in one position of the same, said prong being movable tok open position between said longitudinal members.

6. A pin comprising, a loop of spring wire formed with a reentrant prong on one en and with longitudinal members extending in the plane of said prong and on opposite sides thereof, a slidable connection between one of said members and the proximal end of said prong, a bend formed in another of said members to engage said slidable connection and avkeeper supported on said members to receive the distal end of said prong in one position of the same, said prong being movable to open position between said lon 1- tudinal members and being adapted to e sprung laterally out of the plane of said members for insertion in material to be held.

7. A pin comprising, a long and relatively narrow loop formed from spring wire, a reentrant prong eXtending longitudinally Within said loop, a keeper secured to said loop to receive an end of said prong in closed posi-v tion, a member of said loop normally urging said prong to open, guarded position7 Within said loop and a detent for securing said end of the prong in said keeper against the action of said member.

In testimony whereof, yI llave'hereunto v signed my name to this specification.

WOODARD COLBY. 

